


Koko: A Collection of One Shots

by D7kyoshi



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Rise of Kyoshi, The Shadow of Kyoshi
Genre: F/F, Family, Heartwarming, Wholesome, a collection of one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26057113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D7kyoshi/pseuds/D7kyoshi
Summary: This is a collection of quick one shots involving Kyoshi and Rangi, and their daughter Koko.
Relationships: Koko & Kyoshi (Avatar), Koko & Rangi (Avatar), Kyoshi/Rangi (Avatar)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 214





	1. She's Precious

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I wanted something a little new to write so I sat down and wrote a ton of one shots today that is some wholesome Rangshi family. This collection is far from complete so expect updates every now and then.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and enjoy!

A loud banging on the door of their quarters woke both of the women from their sleep. Kyoshi groaned in exhaustion as Rangi hurriedly left her side, heading for the door. She laid there with her hand resting on the warmth that her wife had left behind. More times than not, it was a guard in need of Rangi’s permission or help so Kyoshi never bothered getting up anymore.

Until now.

“Kyoshi. You’re going to want to come here,” Rangi whispered into their bedroom.

Slowly, the woman stood up and tied her sleep robe tighter before heading out the door. She slowly walked to the door of their quarters, eyes half open and yawning. Kyoshi shook her head a little to jerk herself awake. “What’s happening? What’s wrong?”

Rangi was standing in the hallway with two other guards. She turned to Kyoshi with a bundle in her arms and her bronze eyes wide with awe. Her voice was soft as she shushed Kyoshi. “She’s so precious.”

Kyoshi looked down at the baby in Rangi’s arms. Her heart instantly sank in a multitude of feelings. “Where did this child come from?”

One of the guards stepped closer to her and whispered, “We found her left at the front gate in a basket and with this note.” He handed it over and Kyoshi took it, flipping it open to read.

“Thank you. You can leave now.” The two guards bowed and walked off down the corridor. She produced a small flame in her hand to read the messy print.

_Avatar,_   
_We hope that one day you will forgive us for the decision we have made. Hard times have befallen us and we cannot afford another mouth to feed. It is our hopes that you can find a home for our girl, Koko._

The Avatar’s eyes filled with tears as she closed the letter. The family had abandoned their baby at her front gates, unsafe from the dangers that lay between her property and the village of Yokoya. The baby didn’t know that though. She slept peacefully in Rangi’s arms, unknowing of what exchange just happened. Very easily could Kyoshi focus on how angry she was at the family that left this defenseless child behind, but she was grateful they had chosen her.

Kyoshi looked at Rangi, who was looking down so lovingly at the baby, very subtly rocking side to side. There was a smile on her face that Kyoshi had never seen before. The Firebender appeared so at peace and unconditionally in love with the small child. “Do you want to hold her?”

“What?”

Rangi looked up, her eyes dancing with joy. “Do you want to hold her?”

The question made Kyoshi nervous. She was such a large person compared to the tiny bundle that Rangi was handing over. With care, the transfer was made and Kyoshi now gazed at the child in her arms.

Her heart skipped a beat. A little cooing sound came from the child as she squirmed a little before settling back down to sleep. Kyoshi admired the tiny hand that revealed itself from under the blanket. The small size of that alone made Kyoshi melt even further into the floorboards.

“The letter says her name is Koko.”

Rangi stepped closer so there was no space between the three of them. “Koko,” she whispered. She placed her hand on Kyoshi’s arm while continuing to admire the sleeping bundle.

“Do you think we’re ready?” Kyoshi looked up.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Rangi chuckled. “We can’t let another child go to the streets and she’s a baby. She won’t survive without someone.”

Kyoshi was slowly beginning to drown in sudden self-doubt. “I just don’t want to be like my parents.”

“You won’t be like your parents. You’ll be a great mother, just like how you have become the greatest Avatar.” Rangi looked back down and gasped as Koko opened her sleepy eyes. “Oh, Kyoshi, she has your beautiful green eyes.”

The Avatar’s focus shifted back to Rangi, who was obviously falling deeper in love with the child. Kyoshi was in love with the little one too, but she felt queasy and nervous. Her brain began to think about her childhood and all the ways she was going to fail as a parent.

Her stare went between Koko’s eyes and Rangi’s smile multiple times before she found comfort. She wasn’t her parents and her wife was the greatest, most honorable person she knew. There wasn’t going to be a single moment where this child was going to be unloved. She was going to have everything and more.

“What is all this ruckus and whispering I’m hearing?”

Rangi poked her head around Kyoshi and motioned to quiet down. “Mom, quiet. We, uh, have something to tell you.”

Hei-Ran stood in the middle of the hall, arms crossed and looking disheveled from her slumber. “What could you possibly tell me at this hour?”

Kyoshi slowly turned around. Rangi smirked and bounced with excitement. “You’re a grandmother now.” She watched as her mother’s face went from irritated to confused to surprise. “We will tell you the story later, but this is Koko. Isn’t she beautiful?”

Hei-Ran approached Kyoshi and awed upon seeing the child. “Let me hold her.” She took the baby from Kyoshi and began to softly coo sweet words. Hei-Ran looked up at the couple with a wicked grin on her face. “You two are about to enter a whole new challenge in your life, I hope you know that.”

She looked back down and sighed, also crashing into love with the little girl. “But I’ll be here to help you, don’t worry.”


	2. Rangi Alone

It had been a week since Kyoshi and Hei-Ran had been home at the mansion. They both had to go to the Fire Nation to attend a meeting between the clans and the Fire Lord. With both of them leaving, that meant Rangi was left in charge of caring for and watching Koko.

Kyoshi walked through the side door of the house, through the kitchen. It was completely spotless. As she continued through the house, she realized all of it was spotless. Nothing was destroyed. There were no random toys laying around. Everything was neat and tidy.

“Rangi?” She called out but there was no answer. Kyoshi continued to walk around the house to see where her wife had gone. “Rangi?”

It wasn’t until she entered the common visiting area where she found the sweetest sight. Rangi was laying on her back across the couch, one leg and one arm hanging off the side while she nestled Koko in her arm between herself and the back of the couch. The baby was swaddled and sleeping contentedly while the mother on the other hand looked like she was coming down from disaster.

Rangi’s hair was wildly splayed across the small pillow, her top knot falling loosely to the side. Her clothes were twisted and untidy. There were little creases under her eyes from an obvious lack of sleep. The woman had poured all of her energy into taking care of the house and child that she had forgotten about herself.

Hei-Ran stepped in next to Kyoshi. “I remember those days,” she whispered with a smirk. “I’ll take care of Koko, if you want to get Rangi.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” They walked over to the sleeping pair. Hei-Ran gently picked Koko up and left, leaving Kyoshi with her exhausted ward.

Kyoshi bent down and slid her arms under the crooks of Rangi’s knees and her mid back, picking her up and rolling her close. Rangi’s face pushed against Kyoshi’s chest as Kyoshi softly walked to their bedroom. She never stirred from her slumber, which signaled to Kyoshi how much her wife had truly ran herself into the ground.

She placed the woman on their bed and gently removed her work robes so she could be more comfortable in her pants and undershirt. Kyoshi carefully lifted her once more and rolled the covers back before placing Rangi down and pulling the covers over her. She had more than earned the extra sleep.

Before leaving to check up on Koko, she leaned down and gave Rangi a long, soft kiss on the forehead. She was the best friend, the best wife, and already the best mother.


	3. Meditation

Kyoshi took a deep breath as she focused on her meditating. There had been a multitude of stressors recently within the Earth Kingdom and she knew it was time to realign her chakras. She had set up in a corner of the garden to find a moment of peace.

But, the peace she was looking for was short lived. There was a certain small child crawling onto her lap while stifling their giggles. Kyoshi tried her best to hide her amusement as she moved her arms out of the way while Koko made herself comfortable. After a moment, Kyoshi opened her eyes and looked down to see a set of bright green eyes staring back up at her. She could no longer help but smile.

Koko was sitting cross legged in Kyoshi’s lap, her hands in the same formation that Kyoshi used while meditating. The little girl had a huge grin on her face. “Am I doing it right?”

Kyoshi nodded. “Perfect.” An overwhelming feeling of happiness filled her as she wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her even closer. The five year old giggled as Kyoshi leaned down and planted several small kisses on the side of her face. 

They calmed down from the spat of love and Koko leaned back against Kyoshi’s chest. Kyoshi rested her arms around Koko, settling her hands so her daughter’s little hands rested in her large palms. 

Kyoshi gazed down at the child sitting in her lap and wanting to meditate just like her mother. In five years, Koko had brought an unbelievable amount of happiness to her and Rangi’s life. She was the happiest, most spirited child. She was beautiful and thoughtful and kind. 

There were days where the little girl was nosey and chatty and spoiled rotten. She had Rangi completely wrapped around her finger so those traits came as no surprise either. But, Koko had slowly become mostly a mix of her parents. She was friendly and tough; sensitive, but ready to fight.

Kyoshi’s need to meditate was gone now. The small interaction with Koko had relieved her stress but Kyoshi didn’t move. This one moment with her daughter was all she wanted at the moment.


	4. The Accident

Loud crying filled the air and made Rangi look up from her paperwork. She jumped to her feet and rushed out of the room and down the hall to find Koko sitting on the floor, holding her face. There was a small trail of blood drops on the ground.

Rangi quickly went to her daughter. “What happened?” She gently pulled the girl’s hand away from her face and examined the small wound on her forehead. It wasn’t too bad but it would require Kyoshi’s help.

“I- I- Fox was- chasing me- we were play- playing,” the little girl managed between sobs.

“It’s okay. Let's get you to mom, she can make this feel all better.” Rangi picked Koko up into her arms and held her close. Her daughter pressed her face into Rangi’s shoulder as she continued to cry. The woman looked down at Fox. “Where is Kyoshi?”

The Fox chattered before trotting off through the halls and out the front door. Periodically, it would look over its shoulder to make sure Rangi was still close before continuing on in front. Fox led them down the path to the stable and inside the barn.

“Kyoshi!” Rangi yelled out, pulling her wife’s attention away from her conversation with Jinpa. Koko’s whimpers filled the air and caused Kyoshi to hurry over.

“What happened? Why is there a bloodstain on your shoulder?” The Avatar questioned with deep concern.

“It’s okay. Someone was running through the house and got hurt and she needs your help.” Rangi situated the girl on her hip so Kyoshi could see her.

Kyoshi’s eyes went wide at the sight of Koko’s face and the source of her agony. Koko reached out for Kyoshi and the woman took her into her own arms now. “Oh, sweetheart. Let’s take care of you.”

They walked to the well nearby the stable and Kyoshi handed the girl back to Rangi before motioning for her to sit down on the ground. Rangi did, placing their daughter in her lap. Kyoshi knelt in front of them and pulled two handfuls of water from the well, holding it out in front of her. 

“This might sting a little at first.” The Avatar moved her hands and the water towards Koko’s forehead and gently placed it over the wound. She closed her eyes and channeled her energy into the water, causing it to glow.

Rangi watched the wound slowly heal up as she held Koko close. The little girl yelped at the initial contact but was soon no longer crying from fear or pain. Kyoshi pulled the water away and threw it on the ground behind her. “All better. Now, what has Momma said to you several times about running through the house?”

Koko sniffled, “not to do it.”

“Exactly. I think you owe her an apology for breaking the rules.” Kyoshi looked up at Rangi and winked.

Their daughter looked up at Rangi with a frown. “I’m sorry, momma.”

Rangi gave a little smile. “It’s okay, just don’t do it again, okay?”

Koko nodded and wiped her nose as she looked over at Kyoshi. “Thank you for healing me, mom.”

“Of course, my love.” Kyoshi leaned forward and landed a small kiss on her daughter’s forehead.


	5. Freckles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was inspired by some beautiful art by Maviplier
> 
> https://maviplier.tumblr.com/post/627091862370598912/my-mother-has-brown-stars-dusted-across-her-face
> 
> “My mother has brown stars dusted across her face and the most ferocious storms caged within her hands”

Koko poked her head into her parents room and looked around. No one was there. She tiptoed towards the vanity set where she knew they left all the makeup. 

She slid the chair from under the small table and climbed on top before opening the top drawer. There were several small containers filled with different oils. Koko removed the lid from one of them and smelled it. Nothing alarming. She wiped some of the white contents on her finger and placed it on her face like she had seen her mother do many times before. 

The girl looked in the mirror and smiled. But, the white paint was not what she was here for. She wiped her sleeve across her face and went to replace the container to its spot. It slipped from her small hands, fell onto the desktop, and rolled off the side, shattering and sending the contents splattering across the ground.

She froze. Her eyes darted towards the door but no one came. Determined in her quest, she decided to clean it up later as she continued on. Koko reached for a bag of brown powdered makeup and a brush. 

There was a small decanter of water that she carefully poured into a small bowl. It spilled a little but she would clean that up later too. With caution, the girl took the bowl of water, the bag, and the brush and eased herself down from the chair. In her balancing act, she walked over to the full sized floor mirror and placed the stuff in front of it.

With less than grace, she poured half of the contents of the bag into the water and stirred it with the brush. This would be just enough. She lifted the brush up and let it drip down into the bowl before bringing it to her face. The liquid mixture dribbled onto her tunic and pants as she gently touched the end of the brush to her cheek.

Freckles. Just like her mom.

Koko giggled with excitement as she dipped the brush in the liquid again and dabbed it all over her face. She put a few very small spots on her arms. It was all going to plan until-

“Koko! What are you doing?” It was not very often that Mom raised her voice but when she did, the girl knew she had done something bad. She looked in the mirror at her taller mother standing in the doorway of the bedroom. 

“I was going to clean it up, I promise!” Koko cried out as she turned around.

Her mother walked over to the mess near the desk. “This is very expensive make-up, Koko! It’s not to be played with!” The booming voice made the little girl upset. She didn’t mean to make a mess.

“I’m not playing with it! I’m not, I swear!” She was now on her knees, looking up at her mother with tears filling her eyes.

Her mother approached her. “Then what are you doing? Because it looks like you are getting into things you shouldn’t be touching.”

“I- I wanted freckles like you so I thought I could paint them on like how you paint your face sometimes,” she shyly mumbled.

The tall woman kneeled down in front of her child and examined her face. Koko’s eyes looked down at the ground. Mom was upset with her.

“Why do you want freckles?”

Koko shrugged. “You are one of the prettiest moms ever and I just wanted to look like you.”

She looked up to see her mom’s expression lighten up. With ease, the woman picked the girl up and held her in her arms. Koko’s small hands lightly gripped at the lapels of her mom’s robes.

“You don’t need freckles to be just like me. You know momma doesn’t have freckles and she’s very pretty.”

“I know. She’s the other prettiest mom I have ever seen.” Koko played with the fabric of the lapels in her hands. “Am I the prettiest daughter you have ever seen?”

Her mother smiled the sweet smile that made her feel warm and safe. “You are the prettiest, most beautiful daughter I have ever seen.”

With that, her mother gently placed a hand on the back of Koko’s head and pulled her forward, kissing her on the forehead. Koko closed her eyes and smiled as she sank into her mother’s love.


	6. Not My Real Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Koko gets a little stubborn and angry with Rangi and decides to say the hurtful sentence of "You're not my real mom."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is from a prompt request that I received quite a while ago. I do apologize for how long it took for this to get written and posted! Poor Rangi. I bet her heart would just shatter hearing the words "you're not my real mom."
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and enjoy! (even if this one is sort of angsty... actually, the next few are sort of angsty... whoops!)

Kyoshi was gone for two weeks which meant Rangi was left alone with an extremely feisty ten-year-old. She didn’t know what happened when Kyoshi left, but Koko would try to push the boundaries of the rules tenfold.

“Young Lady, you need to pick up this mess! You know better than to leave your room in this state.” Rangi said, pointing at the large mess.

“No! I don’t want to!” Koko yelled at her.

“Koko. Clean it up, now.” Rangi growled between her teeth.

The girl stood her ground and growled back. “No. I don’t want to.”

They stared at each other. Never once had Rangi yelled at Koko. Surprising to everyone, Kyoshi was the disciplinarian of the family. It made sense though. Over time as they grew up out of their teenage years, Kyoshi grew into her role as Avatar and as keeper of the house very well. She had become great at keeping order both in the world and under her roof.

Sometimes though, Rangi wondered if she had let Kyoshi take on too much of that role. Rangi had taken on the parenting style of her father, which was nearly the complete opposite of her mother. “I’m not going to say it again, and if I have to, you’re going to be in trouble.”

“And what are you going to do? You’re not my real mom!” Koko screamed at her now.

Rangi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Koko. Pick up your mess, NOW!” Her voice bellowed through the hallways. Koko cowered slightly in surprise at the sheer volume that came from her mother.

They stood there once more, staring at each other. Within a minute, someone was at the door. Koko went running to them. “Grandma!”

“What is happening here? I heard you clear as day across the house.” Hei-Ran asked as her granddaughter hugged her leg.

“Someone doesn’t want to listen to me because her real mother isn’t home right now.” Rangi ground her teeth together.

Hei-Ran looked down at Koko. “What did you say to your mother?”

The girl now looked embarrassed and sad. “I said she couldn’t make me clean up my room.”

“And why is that?”

“Because... she’s not my real mother.” Koko stared at the floor.

Hei-Ran looked over at Rangi and back down at the child. “You can’t say things like that. It’s hurtful. She and Kyoshi are both your real parents. You know, without your mother right over there, you wouldn’t have me as a grandma. Did you know that?”

The girl shook her head. Hei-Ran continued. “Now, you need to respect both of them, especially when they ask you to do your chores. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Koko whispered.

“Now, what do you say to your mother?” Hei-Ran looked over at Rangi and winked.

Koko detached herself from Hei-Ran’s leg and walked back across the room. “I’m sorry, momma.”

Rangi kneeled down to meet her height and ushered her daughter into a hug. “I forgive you, and I’m sorry I yelled at you. Please don’t say that again, okay?”

Koko nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Now, what are we going to get done?” Rangi asked.

“Clean my room, then get ready for dinner.” Koko walked away with a slight sulk in her shoulders and began to pick up the mess of things across the floor.

“I’ll be back to check on you,” Rangi said as she walked from the room. She and her own mother slowly moved down the hall, Rangi holding back from her usual pace so she could stay next to Hei-Ran. “Was I that infuriating?”

Hei-Ran smiled. “You were a very sweet child, the best daughter I could have asked for, but don’t think for a moment that you didn’t try to pull something like that with me. Except you would say ‘I wish father was here instead of you.’”

Rangi shook her head, embarrassed that she would say such a thing. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, you don’t need to apologize. You would always come back to me minutes later.” Hei-Ran stopped and turned to Rangi. “You’re doing a great job, by the way.”

Rangi looked down at her feet and smiled. “Thanks, mother.” 

“Sometimes with children, they say things they don’t mean. That girl loves and admires you though. She’s always asking me to tell her stories about when you were her age.” Hei-Ran smiled at her daughter. “She’s really starting to bring out a few gray hairs on you though.”

Rangi groaned at the teasing. “I know, don’t remind me.” A wave of emotion suddenly slammed into Rangi and she pulled her mother into a hug. “I love you. Thank you for everything.”

Hei-Ran gently hugged her back. “I love you too, Rangi. I love you too.”


	7. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Section one: Rangi comforting Koko after Koko is told some mean things at school.
> 
> Section two: Kyoshi comforting Koko after Koko gets into a fight at school... also, Fox makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Koko prompt request! Originally, it was just supposed to be a one-shot of Kyoshi comforting Koko while she is upset, but I decided to just keep writing and write one section for Kyoshi and another section for Rangi. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and enjoy!!

“Mother?”

Rangi looked up from her desk and saw Koko standing in the doorway. For a flash of a moment, she was amazed at how much the girl had grown. It seemed like two days ago she was carrying a small child to Kyoshi in a panic over an injury and now she was sixteen.

“Yes, dear?” Rangi asked.

Koko shifted her stance and walked into the room, sitting on the reading couch. Now that she was closer, her tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes were more visible. Rangi turned in her chair and waited.

Her daughter looked down at her feet and fumbled for words. She picked at her fingernails before standing up again. “Nevermind. I don’t want to bother you. You look busy.”

“No, no. I’m not busy.” Rangi stood up and strode over to the couch. “Even if I were, you and Kyoshi are my priorities. And I can tell you’re upset. What’s wrong?” She placed a hand on Koko’s elbow and gently guided her to sit back down.

“I don’t typically come to you for these things but there is this boy,” Koko started, “and I- I really liked him but today, he told me he would never be interested in me because I’m not girly enough and because I have two mothers.”

Rangi furrowed her eyebrows. “Not girly enough? What does that even mean?”

Koko threw her arms up in exasperation, “I don’t know! Maybe because I’m not interested in what girls are expected to be interested in?” She wiped her face with her sleeve. “I’m mostly upset- with what- he said about you two.”

The girl wiped the tears from her eyes again. She was obviously choking back her emotion.

“Did he say anything else?” Rangi asked as she placed a comforting hand on Koko’s. The girl squeezed her mother’s hand and it took Rangi aback at how strong her grip had become.

Tears finally began to fall. Koko tried her best to speak around them. “He said that you’re not my real parents and- and he said that maybe if I had an actual family-,” those last words caused her to break down.

Koko covered her face with her hands and began to weep. Rangi wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her close. “Sweet love, it’s okay.” The girl melted into her and pressed her face into Rangi’s shoulder. As she cried, Koko gripped at Rangi’s robes. It was heartbreaking and the mother had to choke back her own emotions of seeing her daughter so hurt.

“I- miss the- Fire- Nation.” The words were hardly audible.

“So do I.” Rangi slowly rubbed Koko’s back. “Don’t worry about your mother and me, okay? We have dealt with every insult under the sun. Some people have skewed views of the world but you can’t let their idiocracies ruin your day.”

“But- it’s not fair to either of you!” Koko gripped tighter at Rangi’s robes.

“I know it’s not and it’s not fair to you either.” Rangi hugged her tighter and just held her daughter for a moment. “I know it hurts. When I was in school, all the other students talked about my family behind my back. And it would make me angry, but I couldn’t let them see the anguish it caused me.” 

“So what did you do?” Koko sniffled.

Rangi paused. “I did nothing. I didn’t react. I learned to ignore it. I simply focused on my studies and firebending. There were bigger and better things ahead of me that didn’t involve any of those horrific people.” She took a deep breath. “And then about six years later, I punched the lights out of the main girl that bullied me.”

Koko sat up straight, her eyes wide as ever. “Mother! You WHAT?!”

“What? She insulted my mother and my clan and Kyoshi, I was no longer going to stand for it. So, we fought it out in the middle of the village.” Rangi chuckled a little at the memory. “Your mother had to pull me away.”

“Oh, my Spirits.” Koko stared at her. “This is why I go to her for advice sometimes.”

The admission hurt a little but Rangi all but understood why. She sat back on the couch and wrapped her arm around Koko’s shoulder. “It’s the neutral jing. You two swear by that.”

Koko pulled her legs up on the couch and sank down a little so she could lean against Rangi and rest her head on her mother’s shoulder. She sighed. “I love both of you so much. You have given me more than I could have ever asked for.”

“We love you too. And you have no idea how much you have given us.” Rangi planted a soft kiss on the top of her daughter’s head. “Now, if you ever need me to track that boy down, I know people. I can send Aunt Kirima after him.”

“Mother, no!” Koko growled before they both laughed. “Can you imagine though? Aunt Kirima cornering him.”

“I’m half tempted just for the fun of it, honestly.” Rangi smiled and squeezed Koko’s shoulders. She stared at the desk and looked at the stack of papers. It could all wait. She remembered all too well having these moments with her own mother and she wished more than anything to still be able to talk to the woman that raised her.

***********

Kyoshi crossed her arms as she saw Koko finally come walking into the courtyard, late from school. She had been standing under the breezeway, waiting for the girl to return home, watching the once occasional raindrop form into a steady drizzle. “Where have you been?”

“Nowhere,” Koko said, not looking up from the ground.

“Koko, where have you been? You’re an hour late and Rangi is getting upset about you being late for bending lessons.” Kyoshi squinted her eyes, trying to get a closer look at Koko’s face.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her daughter tried to keep walking past in a hurry but Kyoshi could see exactly what was wrong.

As Koko passed by, Kyoshi reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come here.” 

With hesitation and reluctance, the girl turned around but didn’t try to look her mother in the eyes. Kyoshi took care of that part when she lifted Koko’s chin up and saw the large bruise on Koko’s cheek and the hint of a bruise beginning to form under her right eye. There was a small hint of dried blood at the base of the girl’s nose. Kyoshi sighed. “Let’s get you inside, come on.”

She led them directly to Koko’s room. “I want you to get changed while I go tell your angry mother that you’ll be missing lessons this afternoon. And when I get back, I want to know the truth about what happened. Understand?”

Koko nodded while still avoiding eye contact. 

Kyoshi left and came back to find Koko tucked under the covers of her bed. Soft sniffling sounds came from under the sheets. She quietly stepped closer and sat on the other side of the bed. “Now, tell me what happened.”

There was some shuffling around under the sheets and blankets until Koko’s head popped out and rested on Kyoshi’s lap. Kyoshi couldn’t help but smile to herself. They had a teenager now and it was tough sometimes, mostly knowing that Koko didn’t need her or Rangi’s help with many things like when she was a little girl. It felt nice still being needed. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through Koko’s damp hair.

“I got into a fight.” Koko finally admitted, sounding on the verge of tears.

Kyoshi nodded. It was easy to tell. “Were you defending yourself or someone else?” 

“Someone else. They got pushed down after class by this bully so I stepped in and defended her.” Koko sighed deeply. “It seemed like a good idea at the time but I was wrong.”

It amazed Kyoshi how much Koko was a mix of her and Rangi. “It was not wrong. I’m not happy that you lost your control, but I can appreciate you defending someone.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad.” Kyoshi thought it over for a moment. “I’m a little upset, mostly because you came home hurt and didn’t want to talk about it. We are always here for you, you know that right?”

Koko nodded and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I was so embarrassed. I’ve been trained to fight by the Avatar and all of her skilled companions and teachers but I still get this.” She pointed to the bruises on her face. “Mother is going to be mad at me.”

“She won’t be mad at you.” 

“Yes, she will be,” her daughter whimpered.

“I promise she won’t. She’s going to be proud of you for defending others and standing your ground.” Kyoshi pulled out the water skin she had brought back with her and popped the cork off before pulling the contents out. “Keep your eye closed, okay?”

With the utmost care, Kyoshi moved the water along Koko’s cheekbone. She moved her hands only a little, keeping the water concentrated to a certain area. Kyoshi could feel the bruise dispersing and a slow relief coming to the injured area.

She moved the water away but let a small droplet fall on Koko’s forehead. “Hey! That’s not funny, mother.” Koko said as she wiped her face off. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, dear. You-,” Kyoshi stopped as the bedroom door slid open a little. No one was there, but a distinct clicking sound moved its way across the room until it leaped onto the bed.

Fox made quick work and curled up next to Koko before resting its chin on Kyoshi’s lap as well. Her spirit animal was so protective and loving and caring towards her family. She couldn’t have asked for a better animal companion and often thanked the spirits for sending Fox to her.

She gave Fox a scratch behind the ears while Koko wrapped an arm around the animal. Fox chittered his teeth together in contentment. 

“Now that Fox is here, I need to go talk to your mother again and calm her down.” Kyoshi gently pulled away and replaced her leg with a pillow.

Koko sat up a little. “I thought you said she wasn’t angry?”

“Oh, she’s not angry at you. She’s angry at me now.” Kyoshi rolled her eyes and smiled.

“You’re in trouble,” Koko teased.

Kyoshi shrugged. “When am I not in trouble with that woman?” They both chuckled at the comment. “Take a moment, sleep off what happened today, and we will see you at dinner.”

“Thank you, mother.” Koko nuzzled her face into Fox’s nape. 

Kyoshi smiled at the sight before leaving and facing the wrath of her wife.


End file.
